[{"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-913":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},1240663,1667,"Chapter 912","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-913",913,"\u003Cp>A Monster...?Was that directed at me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the turtle's words, I couldn't help but look dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who's calling who a monster here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From my perspective, the other guy looked way more like a monster, yet he had the nerve to call me one. It was absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmmm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle looked at me, its gaze peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master. Where on earth did you pick up something like this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, that's a bit much to say right in front of someone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, unable to tolerate the constant rudeness, Shin Noya spoke up to the turtle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No matter how monstrous this kid may look—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Noya?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Calling someone a monster, that's incredibly rude! Even if they look like one—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After looking closely, you've gone too far. If that's the case, perhaps I should cut your plum tea quota to three months—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t try that, Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You damned bastards...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grinding my teeth, I clenched my fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right in front of someone, you dare—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Be quiet when the elders are talking.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle pointed its staff at my forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I realized it, I was already outside the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What just happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stood there, stunned by the strangeness of it all,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, my heart began pounding erratically, and I clutched my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump! Thump, thump, thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Hah...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it a reaction from my energy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like it, though it wasn’t the Nine Flames Firewheel technique.Nor was it demonic energy. Which meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...The chain of the spell?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The binding spell I'd learned, tied around my heart, was reacting violently to what just happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…So that just now was…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why'd you just send the kid out like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Gu Yangcheon vanish, Shin Noya clicked his tongue briefly before speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle, still seated, took a slow sip of tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master, wasn’t that exactly what you wanted too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As perceptive as always.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shin Noya chuckled lightly.He had indeed wanted it, as the turtle had guessed. He just hadn’t expected it to happen so suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Every time I see it, it’s fascinating. Just what kind of principle is at work here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No point being curious. It’s unrelated to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now, that’s just harsh. Haven’t I tried my hand at everything by now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle’s aged eyes turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is a fixed matter. Even in death, it cannot be altered.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shin Noya rested his chin on his hand, looking a little regretful at those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How resolute of you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it like how I cannot possess the same power as you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you talking about talent?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a faint trickle, the turtle refilled its empty cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not talent; it’s the realm of choice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve heard that plenty, yet it still doesn’t make sense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means you weren’t chosen for this side.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that so?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shin Noya chuckled again, his earlier regret vanishing completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, was that why you sent out that brat?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle paused at Shin Noya’s pointed remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you were going to send him out, you should’ve sent her along too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shin Noya’s gaze shifted toward the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There sat a woman with black hair, her violet eyes watching them quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression was unreadable, exuding a sense of foreboding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young brat had said it, hadn’t he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That she was the Cheonma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Certainly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She feels… unnatural.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her presence was undeniably unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That one’s not an option.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shin Noya glanced back at the turtle in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s already layered. You can’t touch her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you always have to speak so cryptically? It’s impossible to understand a damn thing you say.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s because I can’t speak certain parts aloud. Anyway, why is someone like her even here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t bring her. She came attached to the brat. Tsk. That kid has a strange knack for attracting women.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially peculiar ones, it seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, what do you think of the brat that you dislike so much?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of Gu Yangcheon, the turtle’s white eyebrows twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That monster?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The term felt oddly grating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As I said earlier, no matter how monstrous he may look—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is a monster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Turtle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shin Noya frowned, but the turtle’s stance didn’t waver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In this realm,\" the turtle said, drawing out the words in its distinct, deliberate tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Such beings are called monsters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those who are loved by the great.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Explain further.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shin Noya’s tone grew serious, the humor fading from his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can’t you see it? The countless things layered upon that boy? To me, they’re all too clear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The brat does seem to be popular with strange figures. Not just one or two, either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was amusing to watch, as it changed every time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the turtle shook its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What I’m speaking of and what you’re referring to are different matters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle’s voice trembled slightly as it continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everything that happens to that boy bears the touch of someone’s hand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the turtle, someone praised as extraordinary, had to admit—Gu Yangcheon possessed something entirely different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fortunately, that monster didn’t choose this side.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle pointed its staff at Shin Noya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rather, he chose your side.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Shin Noya finally began to understand what the turtle was saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you truly call that a choice?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon hadn’t chosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Born in Zhongyuan, he didn’t exactly have much of a say in the matter, did he?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh heh heh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle laughed, finding Shin Noya’s words amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you laughing? You’re making me want to smash that shell of yours.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master, you’re mistaken about something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Monsters, as the world calls them, are usually predetermined beings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means the place they are born is fixed. Only then does the blessing they carry have meaning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the fact that this monster didn’t choose this side but yours…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff lightly struck the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s undoubtedly someone’s intention.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle’s black pupils reflected Shin Noya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As promised, I’ll help with the task. But I won’t get involved with that monster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turtle stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until then, Shin Noya said nothing further.\u003C\u002Fp>",1029,"2026-06-05T15:10:21.117Z",1,"novelbin.me","62f16694c74755b3fdfea9e021e9a8e4afcd93e346a91c5678fb4b0c2f6acf55","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-914","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-912",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]