Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 630

With a blast, smoke billowed upward.

The sharp smell of burning brushed against my nose,
and the heavy smoke clouded my vision.

Wooong—!

I circulated energy through my eyes to restore my sight.
The ground ahead became visible.

Whoosh—!

Gathering flames, I formed a sphere of fire, Flame Jade,
and hurled it at the ground once more.

KWAANG—!!!

Another deafening explosion followed, and debris swirled around.

I repeated this action again and again.
I could feel my inner energy depleting rapidly.
After all, Flame Jade was a technique that consumed a significant amount of energy.

The drain on my energy was painfully evident.

Even so—

I didn’t stop.

Bang! Boom! Bang!

I targeted the visible ground, breaking and shattering it repeatedly.
Without caring about the exhaustion, I kept throwing Flame Jades.

Watching the flying fragments, I reflected:

“There was a time when even using this once was overwhelming.”

I remembered when using it once left me bedridden for days.
It was around the time I first entered the Divine Dragon Hall.
Back then, I had barely reached the Hwagyeong level,
and forcing myself to use a skill beyond my capability had caused countless problems.

Even now, using techniques beyond my level hadn’t changed, but—

“I’ve improved.”

At least, I no longer became half-dead after a single use.

Of course—

“That doesn’t mean I can just spam it like this.”

Objectively speaking, I could use it roughly ten times, give or take a few.
That’s if I compressed and rotated the energy with extreme precision
and utilized it efficiently.

Using it recklessly, as I was now, would drastically reduce that number.

But I didn’t have time to look for a proper method,
nor was this the moment to conserve energy.

KUAHHH—!!

I wrapped my fist in flames and used Flame Jade repeatedly.
By the time I had thrown it five times—

Thud—!

A strange sensation halted my actions.

Instead of the chaotic terrain I’d seen so far,
a proper underground structure appeared before me.

It was unmistakably artificial in design.
Thud.

I landed lightly on the ground and spread out my senses.

“This is it.”

I knew immediately.
This was the place I had been searching for.

The biting cold pierced through my body,
and an unsettling silence hung in the air.

I waved my fingers casually.

Fwoosh—!

The torches lining the walls flickered to life,
illuminating the area more clearly.

But it was still just another corridor,
indistinguishable from any other.

I walked forward, lighting the torches as I went.
Expanding my senses, I noticed something strange—there was no sign of pursuit.

I had expected Mang, or whatever he called himself, to follow quickly, but he hadn’t.

After walking for a while, I came upon a massive door.

Frowning, I examined it.

“This door...”

I had seen one like it before.
It was identical in size and design to the door I had encountered in the Palace Lord’s hidden sanctuary.

Recognizing it, I immediately reached for the handle.
I assumed it would open on its own, just like last time.

Zzzzzzt—!!!

“...!”

Contrary to my expectations, resistance struck me.
An unfamiliar energy pushed me back, accompanied by searing pain.

It was as if the door itself was refusing to be opened.

I let out a bitter laugh.

“This bastard.”

How ridiculous.
It was just a door—yet I was being blocked like this.
Annoyed for no particular reason, I grabbed the handle again.

This time—

ZZZZZZZZZZT—!!!

The energy surged once more, attempting to push me back.

It was excruciating, but—

“I’m used to this kind of thing.”

Pain and injuries were so familiar they were almost tedious by now.
Ignoring it, I tightened my grip.

Screeek.

Even with my skin tearing under the strain, I held on.
Despite the faint protective energy I had around me,
it wasn’t enough to shield me completely.

Still, I didn’t let go.

Grrrrk—!

I gritted my teeth and pulled with all my might.

The resistance was overwhelming,
but I poured more energy into countering it.

It was a brute-force approach.

Normally, if a formation or trap were in place,
the logical step would be to dismantle it first.

But I wasn’t concerned with that.
Instead, I focused solely on tearing the door open.

Even I had to admit, it was an absurdly reckless method.

But—

“When have I ever been the type to overthink?”

In the end, this method suited me best.

Even as my skin tore, even as the pain surged,
I pushed through without hesitation.

Crack—!

Eventually, after some time, the door began to give way.

Though it wasn’t so much opening as it was being ripped apart.

“Who cares?”

I strengthened my grip.

CRUNCH—! BANG—!

Finally, the iron door gave way,
the centuries-old gate of the Ice Palace torn off entirely.

Looking at the door in my hands, I muttered:
“You should’ve just opened quietly. What’s the point of resisting?”

Whoosh.

Thud—!

I tossed the iron door down the hallway carelessly and stepped inside.

Thankfully, entering didn’t come with the same backlash as opening the door had.

But the cold intensified significantly.

Looking down at my forearm, I noticed something.

“Huh.”

Goosebumps had risen along the faint scales on my skin.

“What’s this about?”

The moment I stepped into the space, my entire body tensed.
It was an uncomfortable, nauseating sensation.

It was a feeling I always experienced when encountering traces of dragons or half-dragons,
but this time, it was far worse.

Almost like—

“The time I met the Blood Demon.”

When I had encountered the Blood Demon disguised as Jang Seonyeon,
the overwhelming hostility had been similar.

Suppressing my emotions, I scanned the surroundings.

“It looks familiar.”

The space resembled the chamber where I had seen the Ice Essence before.
The similarity was striking.

“Which means...”

I turned toward the area where the energy felt strongest.
Sure enough, there it was—the Ice Essence.

“So I was right.”

The Palace Lord had said the Ice Essence that prevented the eternal cold was buried beneath the Ice Palace.
And this seemed to be that very place.

The space mirrored the Ice Essence chamber I had seen before,
and the Essence itself was no different in appearance.

But there was one thing I couldn’t understand.

“It’s supposed to prevent the cold.”

The surrounding cold remained unchanged, and visually, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

This Essence was said to consume the eternal cold,
while another spread it.

Yet I felt no discernible difference between them.

I couldn’t grasp the principle behind its function,
but that hardly mattered now.

What was important was understanding why it functioned this way.

As I approached the Ice Essence, I channeled energy into my hand.

There was no long deliberation or grand plan.

It was simple:

With that thought, I moved toward the Ice Essence.
Just as I was about to strike it with my fist—

“…?”

The moment I observed the Ice Essence closely,
my movements froze, and the energy in my hand dissipated.

"Crazy."

The curse slipped from my lips unconsciously. It couldn’t be helped.

There was something inside the Ice Essence.
Hidden by the frost before, the interior of the Ice Essence was now visible.

Inside it—

"What the hell is this guy doing here?"

It was Woo Hyuk.

"Huh?"

The sight widened my eyes.

I remembered the original purpose of coming to the Ice Palace:
to find Woo Hyuk and take him back.
I stared at the Ice Essence, my thoughts racing.

What’s going on? Why is this guy inside the Ice Essence?

I was flustered.
This was, without a doubt, the most baffling situation I had encountered recently.

Why was Woo Hyuk suddenly inside the Ice Essence?

Frowning deeply, I scrutinized it.

"This is a real mess."

But I had to shake off the confusion quickly.
Rather than dwell on why this insane situation had occurred,
it only reinforced my reason to destroy the Ice Essence.

Clench.

Twisting my waist, I tightened my fist.
Energy coursed into it, ready to be unleashed against the Ice Essence.

But just as I prepared to strike—

[Damn it.]

With a sharp curse,

KWAANG—!

Shards of ice erupted suddenly from the Ice Essence.

For a moment, I considered simply enduring the attack and striking back.
But—

Whoosh—!

My instincts had already moved my body, putting distance between us.

“Tch.”

Enduring the attack wasn’t worth it.
The ice shards were all aimed at vital points, making it too risky to block or dodge without preparation.

After retreating several steps and evading the attack, I glared straight ahead.

"Ha, you son of a bitch."

I spat out curses as I stared at the Ice Essence.

"What the hell are you trying to pull now?"

…

My words were met with brief silence.

[Truly, this is absurd.]

A familiar voice.
Mang’s voice echoed from the Ice Essence.

[Are you clever, or just a fool? To act so recklessly…]

Grk.

Even as it spoke, I could hear the faint tremor of anger in its voice.

[I was so close. Just a moment more would have been enough. And yet you, you dare reject my offer and interfere with my plans?]

"Interfere, my ass," I retorted with a smirk.

"I wasn’t planning on siding with you from the start, you piece of shit."

What kind of idiot did he think I was?

"You think I’d just sit there and listen to your nonsense?"

It had been clear from our earlier conversation that Mang had no intention of truly working with me.
His words were hollow, leaving out the crucial truths,
while he subtly tried to manipulate me into compliance.

"It was obvious you were stalling for time. Why would I listen to that?"

Ha.

Mang let out a hollow laugh at my words.

[You’re sharper than I expected.]

Mang had been buying time from the start,
even going so far as to manifest within Yuseon’s body.

Why had he gone to such lengths?
What was the reason for his actions?

I didn’t have to think about it for long.
If there was a reason Mang was acting this way,
it had to be tied to the Ice Essence.

With that suspicion in mind, I’d sought out the Ice Essence,
only to find this chaotic situation waiting for me.

"What the hell are you even doing?"

Grinding my teeth, I asked.

[I should be the one asking you that.]

Mang turned the question back on me.

[Ninth, what exactly do you think you’re doing?]

"What?"

[Why are you interfering with me?]

Mang spoke as though he genuinely couldn’t understand.

[I have not lied to you. We share the same enemy. My willingness to join hands with you was genuine. So why would you make such a choice?]

There was a faint hint of indignation in his tone.
I looked at him and said:

"Do you not have ears?"

[What... did you say?]

Maybe he was deaf.
That would explain why he couldn’t grasp the obvious.

"I clearly told you, I don’t want to work with a bastard like you. Are you just that dense?"

…

"I hate dealing with shady assholes."

If someone caused trouble openly, I could simply beat them down.
But shady types were unpredictable and demanded constant vigilance.

The fact that Mang had been draining the life force of the Ice Palace’s bloodline for centuries to revive himself only made him more repulsive.

[Is that all?]

Despite my bluntness, Mang still seemed baffled.

[So, you refuse to join me simply because I consumed a few insignificant creatures?]

"Listen to your tone. Even your way of speaking pisses me off."

[Those wretched beings should be grateful they served my resurrection. It’s a blessing they should cherish, even in death.]

"Now you’re just spouting bullshit."

[Even in death, they should feel honored. And yet, their kin—you, of all people—reacts with anger?]

Hearing this, I clicked my tongue silently.

There was no point continuing this conversation.
I was too angry to waste any more words.

"Don’t kid yourself."

I gathered energy into my fist again.

"Whether the Ice Palace suffered or not, that’s none of my concern."

It truly wasn’t.

Why would I be angry over their suffering?
I had no deep connection to them.

What mattered to me wasn’t the bloodline of the Ice Palace.

"I’m disgusted by you, you bastard. That’s all there is to it."

Wrapping even more energy around my fist,
I launched myself forward.

CRACK—!

Shards of ice erupted just as before,
but this time, I anticipated it and dodged easily.

A few of the shards nicked my clothes,
but they caused no real harm.

Thud.

Twisting my foot, I assessed the situation.
I had successfully broken through Mang’s attack and reached the Ice Essence.

This time, without hesitation,
I drove my fist straight into the Ice Essence.

CRRRRACK—!!!

My fist sank into the Ice Essence,
and I suppressed a momentary surge of surprise.

It had been easier than expected.
I thought there would be more resistance.

It felt like smashing through ordinary rock.

“Fascinating as that may be...”

I pressed harder, putting my full strength into the strike.

CRRRRACK—!

Starting from the point of impact, cracks spread rapidly across the Ice Essence.

The fractures quickly consumed the entire structure.

And then—

CRASH!

The Ice Essence shattered and crumbled in mere seconds.

Thud.

As the shards of the shattered Ice Essence scattered,
I frowned, not because of the destruction, but because—

"Hah... you’ve got to be kidding me."

Someone was gripping my outstretched fist.