[{"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-955":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},1240381,1667,"Chapter 954","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-955",955,"\u003Cp>I headed to Mount Hua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t come back right away; I had to wait as long as possible until sunrise before returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was because I recalled the words that moving at night was best avoided if possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting back inside wasn’t difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remembered what Gubong had done last time, so I had already prepared by obtaining some ground turtle shell powder in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was finding the right location to enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, too, wasn’t difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clearly visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I narrowed my eyes, observing the distortion in space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I couldn’t see it before, but now…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, I had to concentrate with my mind’s eye open just to barely catch a glimpse. But now, for some reason, it was strangely clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there a particular turning point that caused this change? Or perhaps…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Did something happen to the barrier?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doubts piled up, but I didn’t dwell on them. This wasn’t the time to be worrying about such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sprinkled a little of the powder on my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I had felt last time, it was an unpleasant experience every time I did it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Ground turtle shell powder, seriously….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like rubbing crushed dead skin onto my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was irritating as hell, but there was no other choice, so I endured it and kept sprinkling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After tapping some onto myself a few times, I turned to sprinkle it on Cheonma as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’m not doing that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonma, unusually, recoiled with visible disgust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean you’re not doing it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baffled, I grabbed her arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t want to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonma yanked her hand away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was this supposed to mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what? You’re just going to stay here?”“No.”“Then you have to use the powder. You can’t get inside without—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could even finish speaking, Cheonma started walking forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, wait—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I called out urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She approached the barrier without hesitation and—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She vanished right in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring blankly in confusion, I widened my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No way…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling uneasy, I approached the barrier myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like before, light flickered, and the scene before me shifted. By the time I realized it, I had already entered Mount Hua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Cheonma was right there as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at her in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gazed at me with her usual blank expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you do that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked out of pure curiosity, but she didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She simply stared at me in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, without warning—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stomp!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kuh!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly stomped down on my foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The searing pain made me jerk my leg back in an instant. She must have stomped with considerable force—I thought my foot had been crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You crazy bitch…! What the hell is wrong with you?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gripping my aching foot, I cursed at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonma, however, merely let out a hmph!, snorted at me, and then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—soared into the air and disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her leap far into the distance and vanish, I let out an empty sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the fuck is her problem now? Goddamn it….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furrowing my brows, I could do nothing but glare at her disappearing figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could never understand that woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to Mount Hua, the first place I went was, of course, where Noya was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, Noya was diligently tending the field behind his residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you’ve come—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He started to greet me but immediately narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What the hell did you do this time to end up looking like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out an awkward laugh at Noya’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, I had hoped he wouldn’t notice, but he caught it instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still too early to hide it, huh.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though I had carefully controlled my energy, it seemed fooling Noya’s eyes was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your body was already a mess, and now you’ve made it even worse.”“…It’s not that bad. Only my insides are wrecked—on the outside, I look fine, don’t I?”“Hah. And you think that’s something to brag about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya clicked his tongue repeatedly as he stared at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was I really in that bad of a state?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s a bit rough, sure, but it’s not unbearable.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, it wasn’t like I had been in a battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t even fought anyone directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All I did was try to use the Cheonma Divine Art and ended up injuring myself, so my body was mostly intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real problem was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Restraining the General.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During that process, my insides got twisted up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like my very soul had taken damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This tingling, unpleasant sensation wouldn’t go away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, my internal organs had taken a beating too, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, whatever….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t like my body had ever been in perfect condition anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This much was just another wound I could heal by spitting on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had some business to take care of.”“Business?”“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at Noya and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I went to see the General myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya’s eyes widened at my words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his reaction, I slowly began explaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya set down the sickle he had been holding and rested his chin on his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression turned serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t explained much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just told him that I had gone to Yahwol and met Yusa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that after meeting Yusa, I had a conflict with the Cheong Seon family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…So Yusa appeared.”“Do you know much about him?”“I wouldn’t say I know him well, but I’m not ignorant either.”“What kind of person is he?”“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked about Yusa, Noya pondered for a moment before speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a pureblood of the Moonlit Night Tribe, he has reached the very pinnacle.”“The pinnacle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was quite the bold statement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Moonlit Night Tribe encompassed all beastmen, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And among them, he had reached the top?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t really argue with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yusa I had faced was certainly overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He was even more terrifying at night.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When his presence was fully unleashed, the sheer force of it exceeded my expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to compare… yeah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Not just one of the Ten Grand Masters…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might be on the level of the Three Supremes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least in terms of sheer presence, he wasn’t much different from the Heavenly Lord I had encountered in my past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Does that mean the General is Supreme-tier?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t seen any of the other Generals, so I couldn’t say for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from what I had witnessed, Yusa definitely had that level of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least when it came to pure combat strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was assessing Yusa’s power, Noya added more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He prefers a crude, direct style. But he’s overwhelmingly strong. His instincts are sharp, so he’s not easily fooled. He plays innocent, but in truth, he’s more like a snake.”“So, a strong but annoying bastard?”“I took my time explaining, and you summed it up in one sentence….”“Am I wrong?”“…No, you’re right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya sighed in resignation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘As expected.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, things started to make more sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder he rubbed me the wrong way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… you met him, and that’s how you ended up looking like this?”“Yeah.”“But you said you didn’t actually fight him.”“Ah… Yeah, we didn’t fight. But he pulled some weird shit.”“Weird shit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly explained what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That bastard had tried to suppress me using just his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the process, I had figured out how to use something similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I also mentioned that I had managed to restrain him for a short while using that very method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya gave me a strange look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you looking at me like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there a problem?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling slightly uneasy, I asked, and Noya shook his head before replying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s just… are you telling me you actually used that against Yusa?”“Yeah. Do you know what it is?”“I don’t know the full details, but I have a rough idea. What you used is called Myeong.”“…Myeong, as in ‘command’?”“That’s right.”“Wow, what a ridiculously simple name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they just called it Myeong because it meant ‘command’?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Might as well just call it ‘command’ then. Why shorten it to a single character?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was beside the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Myeong is a power that compels absolute obedience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, I focused on listening to Noya’s explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolute obedience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That didn’t make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absolute? That sounds like bullshit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no such power in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A force that could control someone without conditions? I had never heard of such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If it were a divine authority, maybe I could understand. But even divine abilities aren’t this absurd.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take my Greed, for example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was absurdly effective against beings with divine powers, but at the same time, it was useless against those without them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this Myeong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It supposedly forced anyone to obey, no matter what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Does it work regardless of how strong or weak the target is?”“That’s one way to put it.”“There’s no way that’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could such a broken ability really exist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I had used it to suppress Yusa, but… ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But he also tried using it on me. And it didn’t work.”“Exactly. That’s the issue.”“What do you mean?”“Brat, even when I said it was absolute, there’s still a condition.”“Then it’s not absolute at all—”“Shut up and listen.”“…Yes, sir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I tried to argue, he immediately cut me off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the one who used the word absolute, and now he was mad at me for pointing it out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grumbled under my breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It only works when the user’s existence is of a higher level than the target.”“…Huh?”“In Manwol (the Full Moon Realm), Myeong only affects those of lower existence than the user. And only Generals can use it.”“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Generals could use it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What about me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How the hell was I able to use it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, I had even used it against a General.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, my insides had been torn apart in the process, but the fact remained—I had used it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confused, I asked Noya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s simple. You must have been of a higher existence than the General you used it on.”“Me? A higher existence than a General?”“Why not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya gave me a tired look and pointed at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think about whose child you are.”“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his words, only one person came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t my father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That left just one person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Are you saying I could use it because of my mother?”“I can’t say for certain, but if you were able to use it on a General, that’s the most likely explanation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was the son of the ruler of Mangye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that, my existence was higher than a General’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Noya’s reasoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, this isn’t a definite answer. It’s just a strong possibility. If that’s not the reason—”“Then what?”“You mentioned that your mother was the reason you could enter this place. Maybe she left something inside you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, I furrowed my brows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That could be true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Back when I faced the Blood Demon, my mother sent me here.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still remembered what she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what happens. Under no circumstances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Never come looking for her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her warning that day had been filled with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And from what I had learned, she was no longer the same person I once knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I met her now, there was a chance she might kill me with her own hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I have to go see her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now more than ever, I was sure of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Brat, I told you before.”“I know. She might not recognize me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, I wouldn’t have noticed, but now I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That expression meant he was worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what can I do? If I want to return, I have to see her. And even if that weren’t the case, I need to see her for your request.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stretched my neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A habit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever I felt exhausted, physically or mentally, I always did this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if it’s unfair, I need to see her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Unfair? What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She left me for decades. I want to see her and give her a piece of my mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, I’m done talking. I’ll be going now.”“Where?”“I’m going to see the old turtle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had already made up my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had decided a few days ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, I was completely certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My weary body felt bearable again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My exhausted mind sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before I meet my mother… I need to clean myself up first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noya looked at me like I was insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored it.\u003C\u002Fp>",2114,"2026-06-05T15:10:22.035Z",1,"novelbin.me","89665dffe3b3af53b5e8d72d06435efc9120baeb28dcab4e50a324b1e2b4279a","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-956","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-954",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]