Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 633

Question:

 Hello friends! This is just a question, not related to this story, but I still have to ask it here. Does anyone read Surviving the Game as a Barbarian? I need to understand this so that the title can get the attention it deserves. Thanks in advance for your answer and enjoy reading!!!!
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When I first gained inspiration for this technique, it was right after sparring with Baekcheon Sword Master and having a brief conversation with my father.

Father had told me to understand the meaning of rotation, not compression, in Nine Flames Firewheel.

What does "輪" (rotation) signify?

Going further—what is the meaning embedded within Nine Flames Firewheel itself?

A technique purely based on igniting flames.
I had lived one lifetime thinking that was all there was to it.

But now, in this second life, that understanding had changed.

With just one piece of advice from my father, a new world began to unfold in my mind.

Perhaps Nine Flames Firewheel wasn’t simply about creating flames.
What if its focus lay in rapidly rotating those flames?

Instead of creating a ring of fire and letting it release heat from within,
what if the rapid rotation itself was the key, with the fire as a mere byproduct?

As my perspective shifted, so too did my approach to learning and expressing martial arts.

Rotation.
That was why it was called "輪" (rotation).

Starting from that thought, I took one step at a time.
I strove to use flames that rotated faster rather than just creating large bursts.

No matter which Gu Clan technique I used, I tried to incorporate rotation into it.

Years passed living that way.

While training to use Flame Jade more intensely, a thought suddenly struck me.

The Flame Jade, compressed in my hand and spinning with fire.

I stared at it for a while before hurling it into the air.

Boom!

As I watched the Flame Jade explode in midair, a peculiar realization dawned on me.

The difference between the Flame Jade my father had thrown and the one I created.

It wasn’t simply a matter of power.
There was undoubtedly something different in my father’s martial art—a disparity in rotation rates.

“Hm.”

Compression taught by Shin Noya.

And rotation within the Flame Jade.

As I quietly observed these elements, an idea formed in my mind—a fundamental question.

Though Flame Jade was designed with explosion in mind, wouldn’t it become more powerful with increased rotation?

Its simple spherical shape made it easy to throw.

From this, I developed a hypothesis:

What if I increased the rotation and then threw it?
A spherical shape makes that straightforward, but what if I also...

‘Made the shape sharper and increased the rotation even more?’

Wouldn’t that create immense destructive power?
That was the thought.

A crazy idea, to be sure.

Flame Jade was already a completed technique, considered high-difficulty even among martial arts.

Its usage conditions required mastery of Hwagyeong,
as it demanded compressing heat and continuously rotating it,
all while maintaining it through delicate energy control.

Its simplest form—a sphere—was chosen precisely to make this easier to handle.

Even maintaining that form was a challenge,
but altering its shape and adding more rotation?

It was clear Flame Jade couldn’t withstand that. Attempting it would inevitably cause the heat within to backfire and explode.

How do I know this in such detail?
Because I tried it.

BOOM!!!

“Y-young master!”

“Aaahhh!”

Damn it.


   ******************
   

I barely survived.
That’s the best way to put it.

The reason for failure was that I forcibly tried to alter the shape of the Flame Jade.

Flame Jade, containing immense firepower and spinning endlessly on its axis.
When I twisted its shape, it couldn’t endure and exploded.

As a result, my arm was wrapped in flames, the skin burned away,
and my body, hit directly by the explosion, had its internal organs and bones shattered.

If I hadn’t possessed a dragon’s body
or if the Divine Doctor hadn’t been present in the Gu family at the time...

I’d rather not imagine how it would’ve ended.

Thanks to my extraordinary regenerative abilities, I barely managed to restore my body.

“You madman.”

That was what Paejon said when he saw me.

“I’ve always thought you were crazy, but have you truly lost your mind now?”

[...]

Looking at Paejon, who stared at me with utter disdain, I had no retort.

“You dared to recklessly modify a martial art? And not just any, but a transcendent-level technique? Why not just say you wanted to die?”

His sharp reprimand made me lower my head even more.

“I didn’t expect this to happen either....”

“You didn’t know? At your level, claiming ignorance is the same as admitting stupidity.”

Even my clumsy excuse was met with immediate ridicule.

For someone at my level, having reached Hwagyeong,
it was embarrassing not to grasp how dangerous this was.

No, to be honest, I did know.

I knew it was dangerous. I knew it could lead to a massive disaster.
But I tried it anyway.

Perhaps that was why Paejon was so furious.

“This wasn’t just a simple adjustment; you tried to overturn the very foundation of the technique. Do you realize how serious that is?”

[...]

Techniques like Nine Flame Firewheel,
which used large flames to modify Nine Flame Firewheel into a derivative martial art,
were already somewhat innovative.

But what I attempted was far riskier.

I aimed to change the form itself.

The technique rebelled and exploded. The blast was so severe that I nearly died.

“You crossed a line beyond your capabilities. Even if you wagered your life, you went too far.”

“Yes.”

Like a criminal, I nodded meekly. Nearly dying while training in martial arts...
I had so much left to do; dying like that would’ve been the epitome of a pointless death.

It was clear—I shouldn’t attempt it again.

Just as I resolved to avoid it, Paejon spoke.

“However.”

Paejon looked at me.

“The attempt itself wasn’t entirely without merit.”

“...Excuse me?”

I tilted my head in confusion at his words.
After all that scolding, it wasn’t entirely bad?

“It might be worth exploring. You simply lacked the level to handle it.”

“Are you saying I should try again if I reach a higher level?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m not proficient in that technique. Ask your father for details.”

“Ah, Father is... not available at the moment.”

I had barely survived my father’s rage before coming to Paejon.

Since my regression, I’d never seen him so angry.
It was terrifying—I almost wet myself.

If Madam Mi hadn’t intervened at just the right moment,
I might’ve lost more than my dignity.

Hearing this, Paejon looked at me with a pitiful expression.

“I won’t stop you. Just be careful.”

“You’re not going to stop me, even though I might die?”

“If you were the type to listen, you wouldn’t have done this in the first place.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“And if you were, I wouldn’t bother teaching you—it’d be boring. Besides...”

Paejon smirked.

“Martial artists grow by nearly dying while training, don’t they?”

I wasn’t sure I needed that kind of growth.

The thought crossed my mind, but I kept it to myself.
Paejon, after chuckling, grew serious and warned me:

“One thing. At least for this technique, don’t attempt it until you reach the state of Heart and Mind as One.”

Acknowledging his warning, I nodded silently.
If even Paejon, who usually encouraged trying anything, advised against it,
that meant it truly wasn’t something I could handle yet.

“If you die, wouldn’t that be a waste of your life?”

For a moment, I was moved.
Was he genuinely concerned for my life?

Yes, despite everything, he was my teacher.
I considered offering some polite words of gratitude, which I wasn’t used to saying.

“You’d waste your life since there’s still so much martial arts left for me to teach you.”

[...]

My respect for Paejon, already hanging by a thread, crumbled completely that day.

In the end, though, his advice was mostly true.

Flame Jade could only be modified if I reached the realm of true mastery.
Now I understood what he meant.

Upon reaching that realm, I saw things I couldn’t see before.

A vast heat emanated before my eyes.
Despite the pain, a thrill overwhelmed me.

I could see it.

The countless lines radiating from Flame Jade.
The flow of my inner energy poured into creating this tiny orb.

The constant rotation maintaining this shape.

Now, I wasn’t just using martial arts—I was seeing it.
Seeing it for the first time, not merely wielding it.

This was a new experience, made possible only after my senses were heightened to this degree.

For the first time in my life, I was truly in awe of martial arts.
And to think that awe was directed at my own technique, one I had used countless times.

"This is incredible."

Flame Jade was a much more difficult and intricate technique than I had imagined.

To even use it, one had to reach the level of Hwagyeong.

Only now did I fully understand why. Until now, I had thought it was just an arbitrary requirement.

But as I delved deeper, I realized it was anything but simple.

Flame Jade consumed a great deal of energy, though not so much that it was unusable.
However, Hwagyeong was the threshold for another reason.

It wasn’t just about the energy it consumed; it required a body that could endure the immense heat.

More importantly, it demanded precise energy control to condense and rotate the flames.
That level of control was only possible for someone who had reached Hwagyeong.

Now I understood why this requirement was in place.

"And yet, I tried to use it without that foundation."

Back when I was at the peak of Jeoljeong,
I had forced myself to use Flame Jade repeatedly, enduring the backlash over and over.

"...It was reckless."

Looking back, it was sheer recklessness.
If not for my experience from before the regression, I wouldn’t have been able to use it at all.

Understanding this now, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

"So that’s how it is."

Piece by piece, the understanding built up.

Martial arts are about comprehension.

It’s not just about wielding energy or executing techniques—it’s about understanding why they work,
about grasping the fundamental principles behind their power.

This realization resonated deeply within me.

That resonance shattered a faint barrier within me, brick by brick.

Crash.

I could feel the debris falling inside me, a wall collapsing.

"Realizing something in the middle of a fight? This is ridiculous."

I had wished for enlightenment countless times, yet it came to me now,
in the middle of an all-out fight for survival.

It was absurd.

And yet.

"It’s fortunate."

A strange sense of gratitude swept over me—clumsy, but sincere.

I waved my hand.

Whoosh!

The rotation of Flame Jade intensified.

However, it wasn’t just a matter of increasing the rotation.
I altered the flow of my energy, making it more concentrated.

That subtle shift brought about more change than I could have imagined.

Fwoosh!

The air around me was drawn toward Flame Jade, merging with my heat, and the flames burned brighter.

The problem was that the flames being drawn in were far stronger than I had anticipated.

My legs nearly buckled under the pressure.

But I held firm.
If I lost control now—

"I’ll die."

I would truly die.

The pressure gathering in Flame Jade was enormous. This wasn’t just about adding more energy.

It was spinning faster than ever before.

In truth, Flame Jade was already complete—and stronger than before.

I could end this now by simply throwing it at my opponent.

But ending it here?

No way.

"That’s not enough."

I hadn’t gone this far just to settle for something so simple.

Staring at the violently spinning Flame Jade, I thought to myself:
If I changed its form now, the rotational structure would distort, causing an explosion.

To avoid that, I would need to control every complex flow of energy and change it gradually.

But could I even withstand this while doing so?

Looking at it objectively—could I handle this?

"No."

Even thinking about it made my head throb.

So what should I do?

If I couldn’t move while keeping it contained, should I give up?
Should I let it explode as it was?

"Hmm."

If I had to choose, the latter.
Giving up wasn’t an option.

I had resolved to live a life of achievement. Now was the time to make it happen.

Moreover.

"Letting it explode..."

It didn’t seem like a bad idea.

If it was impossible to maintain rotation while changing its shape,
then why not let it explode—but within a controlled framework?

With that thought, I grasped Flame Jade tightly.

Crunch!

BOOM!

The explosion unleashed an immense wave of heat.

Fortunately, I didn’t feel any external harm.

...At least not externally.

"Ugh."

My insides screamed in pain from the impact, but I could endure it.

The sensation in my hand was enough to push through the pain.

"This..."

I muttered as I looked at my right hand.

"Isn’t half bad."

In my hand was a spear enveloped in flames.

A modified creation born from Flame Jade—a spear.

Its name would be... hmm.

"Roughly."

Flame Jade Sacred Spear.

That seemed like a fitting name.

A simple, elongated, and sharp rod enveloped in overwhelming, rotating flames.

The sheer heat and energy it exuded were staggering.

And yet.

"It’s still incomplete."

Because I lacked the level to fully realize its form.

Unable to control the rotation perfectly, I had created a framework to hold it.

"With my spirit."

Using my Heart Fist, I had forged a spiritual mold and trapped the flames within it.
It was less about perfecting the technique and more about forcibly containing an imminent explosion.

In essence, it was simply an elongated and rotated version of Flame Jade.
Yet even that was enough to wield immense power.

As evidence—

Drip.

Blood trickled from my chest, staining my torso red.

During the process of creating the Flame Jade Sacred Spear,
I had been struck by my opponent’s desperate attack, the blade grazing me.

Crack!

The wound bore traces of ice, inflicting secondary damage.

"That hurts like hell."

I had tried to avoid it, knowing it would come, but I had no choice while focusing on the technique.

Still, I succeeded.

"...You bastard...!"

I heard Mang’s voice.

He stared at me with a mix of shock and horror, his usual smug expression replaced with genuine alarm.

"What... what is that? What have you created?"

"This?"

I didn’t bother showing off. Moving while holding it was risky.
One wrong move and it might explode.

"Can’t you tell? It’s a spear."

"...Hah."

The tension on his face grew. Was it really that intimidating?

"It’s somewhat similar, isn’t it?"

His spear was also a product of condensed cold energy.
It wasn’t so different from mine, or so I thought.

Of course.

"I didn’t create mine for thrusting or swinging."

Trying such a thing would destabilize it and likely kill me in the process.

The only reason I shaped it like a spear was for one purpose.

I lowered my stance, pulling the spear back slightly.

"...!"

Mang flinched and prepared to move, seemingly realizing what I intended.

Yes.

The shape, the added rotation—it was all for this.

To throw it faster.

To throw it harder.

Though I named it the Flame Jade Sacred Spear,

"Its true purpose is as a javelin."

To pierce swiftly.
To leave nothing behind.

Screeeech!

Focusing all my strength on my right hand, I steadied myself and spoke.

"If you can, dodge this."

"Wha—?"

Without waiting for his response, I hurled the spear straight at him.

Swoosh!

The sound of the spear slicing through the air was brief.

Then—

Thump!
I retrieved the mental framework that had shaped the flaming spear.

At that moment—

Whirr—BOOOOM!!!
The spear erupted in an incredible explosion of flames.

The sheer magnitude was far beyond what should have been possible from a spear so small.

Whooosh!
The shockwave from the blast nearly knocked me off balance—a testament to its overwhelming force.

Creak, crack—
Somewhere in the distance, structures collapsed, debris settling into silence.

As time passed, the smoke that obscured my view began to clear.

"Wow."
I couldn’t help but be impressed by the scene before me.

The icy expanse was pierced through with a massive, spiraling hole.

Sizzle.
The surrounding walls melted from the heat, gradually crumbling away.

It was a chilling sight.

"...This is stronger than I expected."

Staring at the melting walls, I realized the power was incomparable to a regular Flame Jade.

"It seems..."
Even I couldn’t believe what I had created.

"But the problem is..."
Setting aside the chaos caused by the Flame Jade Sacred Spear, I scanned the area.

"Where did he go?"

Mang was nowhere to be seen.
He hadn’t been hit by the spear—it was too large an area for him to have dodged easily. So where did he go?

As that question crossed my mind—

Swoosh.
I sensed movement behind me and turned.

Thunk!

"...!"

Something sharp pierced through my abdomen.

It was Mang.

He had approached without a sound, driving his blade into my stomach.

I felt the steel slicing through my flesh, the searing pain forcing a grimace onto my face.

"Impressive," Mang said, his voice calm and deliberate.

"It was so overwhelming I hesitated for a moment. You even managed to force me into a cowardly retreat."

I studied him as he spoke.

The arm holding the sword in my stomach remained intact, but his left arm was gone.
He hadn’t managed to evade the explosion completely.

"Such tremendous power. But," he sneered, his lips curling into an infuriating grin,
"it’s meaningless if it doesn’t land."

"..."

His mocking words made me nod.

"You’re right."

"...What?"

He blinked, confused at my calm agreement.

"You’re absolutely right."

If it didn’t hit, it was pointless.

Even I acknowledged that as the greatest flaw of this technique.

The long preparation time and the effort required to create it meant failure carried heavy consequences.

"But."

I clenched his hand—the one holding the sword in my stomach.

"...!?"

"If I create a situation where it will land, then it doesn’t matter, does it?"

"You bastard—!"

Mang’s eyes widened in shock, the realization of my intent dawning on him too late.

Yes, if I couldn’t guarantee a direct hit, then I would simply create the conditions to ensure it.

And he had played right into my hands.

I smiled at him.

"You should’ve gone for my neck. Why stab my stomach?"

Dragons are inherently arrogant.
Perhaps that’s why he felt the need to come close and stab me instead of finishing me off from a distance.

Oh, but even if he had aimed for my neck, I wouldn’t have let him succeed.

I tightened my grip on his hand, ensuring he couldn’t escape, and whispered:

"Got you."

"Ugh—!"

Clatter!

He tried to yank his sword free from my abdomen.
The pain surged, but it was manageable.

How absurd—how many times had my stomach been stabbed in the past few days?

Crunch.
I felt the blade in my stomach chilling, frost creeping along my skin.

But I suppressed it with heat, forcing the rising cold back.

I estimated.

"Seven seconds."

That was the limit I could endure. It wasn’t much time, but it was enough.

Whoosh!

Flames coiled around my hand instantly.

It was faster this time—I’d done it once before.

Hummmm—

I recreated the Flame Jade Sacred Spear, despite the sword still embedded in my stomach.

My hands trembled violently.
Two consecutive uses were my limit.

"Let go! I said let go, you fool!" Mang’s panicked voice grew louder.

"You’ll kill us both! Do you not care what happens to me in this body?"

Using Woo Hyuk’s body to plead? Laughable.

"That’s his problem, not mine."

"...!"

"And besides."

I twisted my expression into a scowl.

"That bastard would curse me to no end if I spared you now."

If I had hesitated to finish him here, Woo Hyuk would have berated me for it later.

Gripping the spear tightly, I watched Mang shout in desperation.

"If you use that at this range, you won’t survive either!"

"Yeah. So what?"

His words didn’t faze me. It didn’t matter.

My survival wasn’t the priority—ending this was.

As he saw that nothing he said could sway me, his face contorted in despair.

"You—!"

He tried to continue, but I was done listening.
Raising the spear, I drove it directly into his abdomen.

Thunk!

And then—

BOOOOOM!!!

The explosion engulfed everything.