[{"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-614":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},1240464,1667,"Chapter 613","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-614",614,"\u003Cp>What’s this? Why is she reacting like that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fiancée…? Do you know who it is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How would I know? I only heard that he has one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri’s state didn’t look good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear she hadn’t known Woo Hyuk had a fiancée.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does he really have one? That guy…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, it’s not that important, so let’s move on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I think we should—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you still not have any suspects?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickened my pace as I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel the grip of her hand tighten on my clothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same question I’d asked Yuri when we first arrived in the North Sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering how tangled things had become, it was worth assuming that someone from her bloodline might have joined the rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Yuri had answered that she had no suspects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it could have changed by now, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now certain that someone from her bloodline had participated in the rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why I asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Well…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri’s reaction was peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, youdohave someone in mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like there was something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is serious. If you don’t tell me, I’ll leave you behind for real.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t joking this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she wasn’t going to talk even now, then abandoning her would be the right move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still no response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was about to release my grip and throw her off when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not a certainty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, Yuri spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just… suspicion…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t sugarcoat it. I’ve been asking if you have any suspects since earlier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t asking for the right answer, just for her to narrow down the possibilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hesitating briefly, Yuri finally continued after a moment’s pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Second Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second Young Master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second child of the palace lord?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because he’s the most likely…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded slightly at her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a reasonable suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In lineages like this, the firstborn son usually inherits the position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stories of second sons taking up swords in resentment over this are all too common.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Young Master aiding the rebellion out of dissatisfaction seemed plausible enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But that’s not the only reason you suspect him, is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Yuri’s reaction, it was clear there was more to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I pressed her further,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…The Second Young Master has always been dissatisfied.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri added more context.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The First Young Master was designated as the heir to the palace, but… if we’re talking about talent, the Second Young Master surpassed him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, he was resentful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. He often lamented how he could never become the palace lord due to something decided at birth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having seen that, it was understandable that she’d immediately think of the Second Young Master when hearing about a blood relative joining the rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s plenty of reason to suspect him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A talented second son, overshadowed by his less capable older brother simply due to birthright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A familiar story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second son harboring resentment and instigating rebellion was the most plausible explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a tale as old as time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded, filing the information away for later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tightened my grip slightly, ensuring she wouldn’t fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haa…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri let out a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must have realized how close she’d come to being abandoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I’d noticed before, she’s quick-witted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time was running short—at most, half a keun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the energy in the surroundings grew thicker, I picked up my pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…May I ask you something as well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, Yuri spoke to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she about to ask more about the fiancée?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was what I thought, but then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you leave the hideout?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden question nearly threw off my focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean, ‘how’? I just left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I responded, baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yuri’s expression was odd as she explained further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The hideout… it’s protected by advanced sorcery. Unless one is of the bloodline or knows the designated paths, it’s nearly impossible to enter or move freely within.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What did you just say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned at her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sorcery?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even a formation—it was sorcery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s something Jegal Eui-cheon used.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years ago, when Jegal Eui-cheon was treated with the White Demon Stone, I’d seen something similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t like the formations others used, which relied on complex calculations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jegal Eui-cheon had simply waved his hands, and with a burst of energy, a mystical phenomenon unfolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The White Demon Stone, used as an offering, disappeared, and Jegal Eui-cheon regained his speech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he was unconscious for over two weeks afterward, the power was undeniably remarkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that kind of power…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was in that cave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I hadn’t sensed anything at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d wandered freely and easily found the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I thought about it, I recalled something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day I left, Moyong Biyeon had stood by, watching me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, she hadn’t followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, I assumed she had no intention of stopping me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what if she couldn’t?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if she couldn’t stop me because of the sorcery?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did think the number of guards seemed unusually low.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had been very few guards both inside and outside the hideout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Initially, I thought they were shorthanded because they’d evacuated in a hurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if sorcery was involved, it all lined up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t I sense it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Yuri’s claim was true, I should have felt something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I have not noticed anything at all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the question crossed my mind—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I abruptly stopped running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master Gu—?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Be quiet for a moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut off Yuri’s question mid-sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems we’ve arrived at our destination.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excuse me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri widened her eyes in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But there’s nothing here…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the pitch-black sky, a snowstorm raged, blocking visibility entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast plain around us was blanketed in snow, making it perfectly reasonable for Yuri to find my statement odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, this is definitely the place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out my hand, waving it through the space ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wooong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something brushed against my fingertips—a ripple, not the solid barrier I initially expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A formation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t be certain yet, but one thing was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can sense this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subtle sensation I’d never noticed before was now unmistakably clear throughout my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found myself more curious about Yuri.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could she not feel something this tangible and vivid?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then again, I might not have noticed it either under normal circumstances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Namgung Bi-ah sliced through the formation at Heukya Palace or when Woo Hyuk found the hidden entrance to the Divine Dragon Pavilion, I hadn’t been able to sense a thing, unlike them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now, being able to feel something like this…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must mean something had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since awakening Heart Fist, something in me had shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this what they mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing things from a formation, smelling something unusual—I’d always thought such statements were absurd. But now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I still don’t get the ‘smell’ part.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing and smelling formations still didn’t make sense to me, but at least I could vaguely understand now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned to Yuri and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know where we are?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…I don’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuri shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering all we could see was an endless expanse of snow, it wasn’t surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since she’d been relying entirely on her senses to guide us, it made sense she’d have no idea where we were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you really sure this is the place?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was beyond this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wooong! Wooong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel vibrations coming from beyond this barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hooo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I released my energy, spreading it out to scan the surroundings for any potential threats. Unfortunately, I didn’t detect anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waved my hand through the rippling barrier again and tried to push deeper this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unknown pressure forced my hand back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t seem like I could just walk through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can I exploit a gap like they did?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Namgung Bi-ah or Woo Hyuk, who had cut through similar barriers with their swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at the ripple in front of me, trying to discern if there were any weak points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doesn’t seem like it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No such gaps were visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should I do, then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t just leave it as it was, and breaking through didn’t seem feasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I attempt to dismantle it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was certain that even attempting to unravel it would take all night, and that’s if it was even possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What else could I do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Return now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not a chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t going to turn back after coming this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially not when the vibrations from beyond the barrier were so palpable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could senseNoe-a(Thunder Fang) beyond this barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing that, how could I possibly leave?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning now was out of the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master Gu…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I twisted my waist slightly, clenching my fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will it work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as I prepared myself, I was filled with doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t yet fully understood this power or tested it since awakening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faith that I could do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When you’re out of options,\" I muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Choose the simplest one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I couldn’t figure it out with my head, I’d just break it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the method that suited me best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wooong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something from my heart coiled around my fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vast emptiness surged through me in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling it, I whispered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just go back to the basics.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swung my fist toward the ripple in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Heart Fist).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hwaaaaa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A devastating explosion erupted from my fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>******************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kooooom---!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, a tremendous vibration spread throughout the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because of it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah, who had been sleeping fitfully, opened her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She immediately sat up, staring into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foul stench she had been struggling to suppress, the one that had been growing since losing hermask, was now entirely gone.\u003C\u002Fp>",1681,"2026-06-05T15:10:11.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","b37408f128ecff563116fa128de6a0e6058cd35a0b2aac984395ff4601dede24","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-615","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-613",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]