[{"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-436":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},1239912,1667,"Chapter 435","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-436",436,"\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon's (Dokjeolcheon) expression was inscrutable as she looked at me, but my focus was solely on the Dokcheon Pills lying next to the white stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…How many are there?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a quick count, there were over ten. With that quantity, you could probably acquire a decent-sized martial sect, if not more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, such rarity was expected; after all, the Tang Clan could no longer produce these ancient miracle pills. The Dokcheon Pill held more than just the usual concentrated inner qi of divine pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also said to grant immunity to poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By consuming it, one could develop a resistance to poisons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I couldn't confirm this as a fact, the records stated it clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A miracle pill that could enhance one's martial power immensely and even build resistance to poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now a legacy of the past, priceless even with limitless wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Dokcheon Pill…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There they were, rolling around in front of me. Just passing the trial would grant me access to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Though I won’t be able to use them right away.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the unstable state of my vessel, absorbing the Dokcheon Pill’s energy would probably destroy me instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But I could share it with others.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were plenty around me who could use it. Even aside from that, the Dokcheon Pill's worth was too high to ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same goes for the white stone…no, the Baekmaseok (White Demon Stone).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Typically, stones from demonic beasts would lose their energy and color within days of extraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Baekmaseok wasn’t like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It retained its color, light, and energy—even now, it was as brilliant as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I haven’t seen other Baekmaseoks to confirm, but…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, I could only assume it was special. Looking between the Baekmaseok at the center and the Dokcheon Pills beside it, I thought to myself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Damn…this is truly an extraordinary opportunity.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just seeing it made my eyes water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Young Master…are you crying?] \"Yes… Tears of joy. Please ignore it.\" [Oh…okay.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scenes of past opportunities flashed through my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first was the Golden Cheongyeon Family's chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second, I think, was at the Shinryong Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But both times, I’d been plagued by awful experiences, rather than gaining any luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This…this is true fortune.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, here, was the real deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a far cry from the Golden Cheongyeon Family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, both previous incidents had been connected to Yeonilcheon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn bastard. Rotten bastard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just because he’s a regressor, he thinks he can mess with people’s lives. I was cleaning up the mess he left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, a deep resentment toward the previous regressor grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Tang Jemoon hadn’t agreed to give me anything yet, it already felt like the Dokcheon Pills were mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior…” [Yes?] \"May I pay my respects?\" […What?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon looked at me, slightly disturbed by my request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that expression, I decided to drop the idea and nodded to myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, that would’ve been a bit much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was a joke.” [Young Master…you really do resemble Shin Cheol in the strangest ways.] “That’s…extremely unpleasant to hear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said I reminded her of that meddling old man, which was, frankly, offensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon chuckled behind her hand, apparently finding my reaction amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, she does laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone who seemed so cold, it was an unexpected side of her. Maybe that’s why I felt like asking something I’d been hesitating to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um, Senior.” [Yes?] “That… It’s not really an important question, but why is that stone next to the Dokcheon Pill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked over at the Baekmaseok.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ah.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if she’d just remembered, she clapped her hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It’s for showing off. That came from a beast I personally hunted. I wanted to brag to Shin Cheol when I met him.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She told me in a slightly raised voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unexpectedly cute reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had thought it was there for some significant reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just for showing off, really…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Unbelievable.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely held back a snicker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The fact that she personally hunted the beast…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the Baekmaseok, I recalled the Water Dragon River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The river was supposedly created by the beast of the White Rank that Tang Jemoon defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This slender woman has that kind of strength?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question flickered through my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deeds of the past heroes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time I encountered one of them, the same thought crossed my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each one of them seemed comparable to the current Triumvirate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Just how…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How strong were they, really?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if they were so powerful, how had they failed to defeat a single Blood Demon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A question that lingered in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for now… the Dokcheon Pills are more important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Baekmaseok had become secondary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life’s all about priorities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaaa….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you quiet down a bit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pushed back the head of the Red Water Snake (Jeoksusa), who was noisily slithering in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Young Master.] “Yes, Senior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately turned to Tang Jemoon, whose expression held a peculiar look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You seem…different from when we first met. Is it my imagination?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did my attitude change?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike those people who promised fortune but only handed out trouble, Tang Jemoon was offering something genuine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would bow a hundred times if needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t exactly proud to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A person who feeds you is a god.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the way of life I’d learned through endless struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the slightly distant Tang Jemoon behind, I asked what I wanted to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please tell me, Senior. What kind of trial is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had said I needed to pass a trial to get the Dokcheon Pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was ready for anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She said it was prepared for Shin Noya.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was for him, why bother setting up a trial?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This must be part of a greater plan.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had to be a reason for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one thing that lingered in my mind about this situation was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is it okay for me to take Shin Noya’s fortune?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If most of the fortunes I’d gained had been intended for Shin Noya’s benefit…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could I really consume all of it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Noya had said it was fine, I couldn’t shake a sense of unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I just feel uncomfortable.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a self-imposed burden I couldn’t quite understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I couldn’t let it stop me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To prepare for the impending bloodshed, I’d resolved to take everything within reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time wasn’t on my side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reminded myself of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Besides… Noya wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity anyway.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Noya, by some miracle, reincarnated or possessed another body and returned to this world, maybe it would’ve been better to leave his fortunes untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in my previous life, there was no one like Shin Noya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Their plan failed.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever they’d been planning, it didn’t succeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll take it and deal with the mess too.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Might as well hunt down Cheonma and the Blood Demon along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was, after all, something Noya had told me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d suggested that while I was stopping the bloodshed, I might as well take care of the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, it sounded like nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now it made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Did that old man see all of this coming?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Shin Noya have anticipated this outcome?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made me wonder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Before we begin the trial.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There’s something I’d like to ask you.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something she wanted to ask me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at her with curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Have you ever experienced regret?] “Yes…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rather unexpected question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, it struck a deep chord within me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had I ever experienced regret?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How could I not?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a ridiculous question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My entire life was filled with regret; how could I not have experienced it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have. More than I can bear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouldn’t have lived like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouldn’t have done that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouldn’t have said that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouldn’t have left you behind. I shouldn’t have used you as an excuse to do those things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fleeting thought surfaced, and countless, deeply felt regrets, with no clear subject, flooded my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon looked slightly surprised as she observed my expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever expression I was making now, I had no way to see it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief silence, Tang Jemoon spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Have you ever thought of overcoming that regret?] “Overcome my regret?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help but laugh a little at her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear scoff. It was a slip-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly dropped the smirk and spoke cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I don’t see regret as something to overcome.” [Then?] “It’s something to carry with me. That’s how I see regret.” [...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regret is like lingering attachment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Living more in the past than the present, it chokes you constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overcoming it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. That’s nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You carry it with you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it’s a memory you can never forget.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just keep walking forward, recalling that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is this conversation part of the trial?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only thought in my mind. Pushing away my jumbled thoughts, I looked at Tang Jemoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…What?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her face, I was taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked…sad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Young Master, are you truly moving forward with your regrets?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to say yes immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I knew all too well that any positive response would be a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just couldn’t bring myself to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon’s expression grew even deeper as she looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with a voice that sounded heavy, she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Then, let’s begin the trial now….]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, I immediately focused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden start was a little surprising, but the sooner we started, the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not knowing what to expect, I focused all my attention on Tang Jemoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She then said in a calm voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This trial holds no success or failure.] “What? What does that mean…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No success or failure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How was she going to judge if I passed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Once the trial is over, whatever thoughts you have are all that matters.] “Senior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon’s vague words only made a sense of unease creep up within me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When people started talking cryptically like this, it usually meant…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m in for a rough time.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As that unsettling thought crossed my mind, I tried to call out to Tang Jemoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[All I want is for you to make a different choice than I did.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jemoon finished her words and reached her hand out to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwaduduk-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding space began to warp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, I knew it…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the situation unraveled around me, I tried to escape, but the cracks had already engulfed everything, myself included.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the distorting view, I could hear Tang Jemoon’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Someday…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a hint of laughter in her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or was it sorrow? Maybe even longing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know Tang Jemoon well enough to tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you see Shin Cheol, please give him my message.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to respond, but no words came out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the collapsing space, only Tang Jemoon’s voice echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That I missed him. I missed him so much… and that I…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words, laden with longing, didn’t reach the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cracks grew stronger, and as they exceeded their limit, the pressure finally snapped my consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I opened my eyes again…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found myself lying in the center of an unknown pit.\u003C\u002Fp>",1885,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.032Z",1,"novelbin.me","6d309eeb2c0086053c07c2ee74f9233beba91a3066333b46b9ccdc79338e0541","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-437","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-435",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]