[{"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-930":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},1240680,1667,"Chapter 929","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-930",930,"\u003Cp>Clink.Something cold and heavy pressed against his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kuh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a faint groan, Gubong opened his eyes.Had he lost consciousness? For how long?As his thoughts raced to piece together what had happened, his eyes widened in alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It came rushing back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being dragged alongside Gu Yangcheon by the family’s people. And then… what happened after that?The hazy memories spun in his head, a whirlwind of fragments he couldn’t make sense of.Shaking off the dizziness, Gubong forced himself to survey his surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he tried to move, a restrictive sensation swept through his body.He quickly realized his state and his eyes grew even wider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is going on? He struggled, confusion mounting—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re awake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice came from ahead, freezing him in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because he wanted to stop—no, it felt as though his body was paralyzed against his will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An inexplicable chill coiled around him, and the clear sight he once had began to darken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within moments, pitch-black darkness engulfed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t truly dark—his mind just perceived it that way.A nauseating, oppressive sensation that made him want to retch.It was a feeling Gubong hoped never to experience again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t just the sensation he hated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one person in his memory who could evoke such a visceral reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone Gubong both despised and feared down to his very bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that person was now standing before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How have you been?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure shrouded in darkness, their features obscured entirely, save for the faint outline of a chin resting in a contemplative pose.Gubong swallowed dryly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without seeing, he knew who it was.How could he not? This figure still haunted his nightmares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mustered courage barely brought words to his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Dark Leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness shifted slightly at his words.Though no expression was visible, the faint rise and fall of shoulders suggested the figure was laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dark Night.”“...”“How have you been?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Gubong’s face twisted into a scowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to ask what this is about first.”“What’s so strange about a father visiting his son?”“…Father… Father, you say…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word felt unfamiliar, heavy, even laughable.Gubong let out a dry chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How absurd.”“Dark Night.”“Don’t call me that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong tensed, trying to break free from the cuffs binding his hands, but it was futile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is this… Yoseok stone?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The material sapped his strength the more he struggled—a clear indication it was made of that cursed stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A waste of effort. You’d be better off conserving your strength,” the darkness advised.“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grinding his teeth, Gubong relented.He was right - there was no point in fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yoseok stone wasn’t something anyone could break by brute force.Few in the world could destroy it, and Gubong was not one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resigned, Gubong asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Why have you brought me here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What purpose did this serve? He couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve abandoned me for decades. Left me to scrape by in Mount Hua. So why now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For years, Gubong had lived his life clinging to survival, unnoticed and ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could have changed to make him important now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Did something happen to my brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question slipped out, born of a faint hope that his capture might be for his brother’s sake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’ve brought me back because something happened to him, then—”“You’re as delusional as ever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong’s words were cut off as the darkness extended, forcing his mouth shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guh…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The overwhelming pressure bore down on him, leaving him unable to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after all these years, the difference in power was this vast?Enough to render him completely immobile, even now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dark Night.”“...Don’t… call me that…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grinding his teeth, Gubong spat out the words, prompting the darkness to nod slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As you wish. Rest assured, your brother is fine. There’s no such reason for your return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room trembled as objects inside shook violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your brother remains healthy, and our family would never stoop to retrieving a failure like you for such reasons.”“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The harsh certainty in those words pierced Gubong deeply.The thought of his brother falling had been a fleeting hope, and now even that was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think our family is so weak as to call back a disgrace who fled like a coward?”“Then why…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong leaned forward, glaring at the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why drag me here after ignoring me for all these years? You could’ve just kept pretending I didn’t exist!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His defiance was met with a slow rise of the shadowed figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hwoooosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the darkness approached, Gubong’s trembling eyes reflected his growing fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right. I didn’t care what you did or where you went.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint burning smell reached him, though it might have been an illusion brought on by the pressure warping his senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I let you run, ignored your desperate struggles out of what little pity I had. Did you enjoy it? Your pathetic life as a failure?”“…I…”“I even turned a blind eye to your childish antics. But now, something has come up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice, dry and rough, coiled around Gubong, suffocating him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The White Family’s leader was attacked. Have you heard?”“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had. How could he not? It was all anyone talked about yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader of the White Family, Baek Wol, had been gravely injured in an ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say the culprit was a Moonlit Wolf with black fur.”“...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong’s breath hitched, and his eyes widened in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, he understood why he had been dragged here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And I hear you’ve had dealings with that fool’s offspring.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness knelt slowly before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I wondered…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An energy-formed hand reached for Gubong’s chin, lifting it effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Was it you?”“…You hoped… it was me?”“‘Hoped’ isn’t the right word. I never expected much from you. I merely wondered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy hand released him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now, it doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faint intrigue in the voice vanished, replaced by cold indifference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, Gubong realized the truth: he was worthless to this person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You haven’t changed at all…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice trembled as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not since the day you tried to kill me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness tilted its head, as if puzzled by Gubong’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were the one who ran.”“Yes, I did. I fled because I wanted to escape this wretched place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raising his head, Gubong stared into the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And now, I can say it was the right choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even as he said it, the words felt hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness responded without care, its tone dismissive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You speak as though it was your decision to make.”“And what? Are you saying you made it for me?”“You’re still mistaken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness chuckled lowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you truly believe it was luck that let you escape? That Mount Hua took you in? That you’re still breathing?”“That’s absurd—”“Isn’t the fact that you’re alive proof enough?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crrrack—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong ground his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most infuriating part?He couldn’t refute it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing this being’s power better than anyone, Gubong’s instincts told him the words weren’t lies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I wished, I could erase it all at any moment. Even that so-called master you follow—I could eliminate them without effort.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong’s eyes burned as he heard those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you just say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veins bulged on his shackled arms as he glared at the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness’s eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your gaze is irritating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you say you’d do to the master of my sect?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang! Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong strained with all his might, as though he intended to shatter the cuffs binding him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t seem to so much as crack, yet he continued exerting himself, heedless of whether his arms might break in the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness, observing this display, showed a fleeting interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, your so-called master is more important to you than your father standing before you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have never, not once, considered you my father,” Gubong growled, his face contorted with pain and fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The moment I fled that place and met him in the forest, he became my father. Not you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness nodded, not in acknowledgment but as if solidifying some internal thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I spared you, yet you bare your fangs at your father,” it mused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Urk!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Energy wrapped around Gubong’s throat, hoisting him into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter. I’ve already confirmed what I needed to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kh…ghh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I intended to show mercy and let you leave peacefully, but your attitude tells me otherwise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ghh…kgh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cuffs remained intact, though faint cracks had begun to form. Still, it was clear that Gubong’s body might give out before the cuffs ever did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Son,” the darkness spoke, its tone mocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You asked earlier if something had happened to your brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Kgh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if there were, no one would come looking for you. You’re simply not worth it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words struck him like a blade to the chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had always known, hearing it again stung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your brother went to the one you brought to us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong’s body trembled at the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What… does that… mean…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suspect he’s already learned a great deal by now,” the darkness continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ghh—!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that something might have happened to Gu Yangcheon, Gubong thrashed violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew how strong Gu Yangcheon was, but this was their territory. If anything were to happen to him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d never be able to face the leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon was someone the leader had awaited for a very long time. Regardless of how Gubong himself felt, he couldn’t let things end like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ghh—!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With every ounce of strength he had, Gubong struggled, his body trembling as though electrified. It was a desperate, almost feral act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you, it’s meaningless—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cuffs binding Gubong’s hands shattered. The darkness’s eyes widened in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He broke Yoseok cuffs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness’s gaze sharpened as it studied Gubong with newfound curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is unexpected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grrr…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snarling, Gubong bared his teeth and lunged at the darkness with outstretched hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness responded with a slight motion of its own hand. Energy coalesced into a physical form, mirroring its movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll need to sever his limbs before he causes more trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy shot toward Gubong’s shoulder, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it here? Yeah, it’s here, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice rang out from somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hand pierced through the oppressive blackness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness barely had time to react before the hand lunged forward, grabbing its face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intruder drove the darkness’s head into the wall with a deafening crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grr… What the…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gubong, who had been growling moments ago, froze like a statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There we go. Found it at last,” the newcomer muttered, dusting off his hands. “What’s with all the hiding? You trying to piss me off or something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure who had broken through the darkness was none other than Gu Yangcheon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood was smeared all over his body, though oddly, he didn’t seem injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In one hand, he held someone by the hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The limp figure dangled lifelessly, with something dark dripping from it. The sight was grotesque and unmistakably wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What… is that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squinting, Gubong tried to make sense of the familiar form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, realization struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...That’s…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black hair. Black ears. Black fur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That familiar figure…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t it his brother?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the face was hard to see, it seemed unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was going on? Gubong could only stand there, frozen in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey. Yo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon waved at Gubong with a cheerful smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was, both his hands were occupied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gu Yangcheon waved, the bloodied, beaten form of his brother swayed along with him. Meanwhile, the figure of their father was embedded in the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To sum it up—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What a goddamn mess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A complete disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a colossal one at that.\u003C\u002Fp>",1969,"2026-06-05T15:10:21.117Z",1,"novelbin.me","01f4a2831e0668c189193cafe8db53eb070e765c46c7e4db09991941a9122cef","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-931","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-929",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]